Steps
Read the statements
Choose one or more PDF statements downloaded from online banking. Each is read as a table: the columns are found from their headings (date, description, paid out, paid in, debit, credit, amount, balance, in English, German or Indian bank wording), wrapped descriptions are joined, and dates are read day-first or month-first from the statement itself. For each statement you see whether the opening balance plus the transactions equals the closing balance. Download CSV hands every statement's rows to the next step.
Merge and tidy the transactions
The months are joined into one table. A row repeated in two statements (the same date, description, amount and balance, as when downloads overlap) is removed once; identical rows inside one statement, such as two coffees on the same day, are kept. Dates become YYYY-MM-DD, amounts plain numbers, and a Category column is added from editable keyword rules. The running balance of each statement is checked again.
Workflow step
Make the import file
Choose QuickBooks Online (3 columns or 4 columns), a Xero bank statement CSV, a Xero precoded statement with an account code and tax rate for each category, or an Excel workbook, and the date format. The list under the options checks the file against the import rules quoted below before you download it.
Workflow step
Requirements and sources
| What | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| QuickBooks Online 3-column format | This format has a Date, Description, and Amount column. | QuickBooks Online Help: Format CSV files in Excel to get bank transactions into QuickBooks (US) Last verified 2026-10-22 |
| QuickBooks Online 4-column format | This format has a Date, Description, Credit, and Debit column. | QuickBooks Online Help: Format CSV files in Excel to get bank transactions into QuickBooks (US) Last verified 2026-10-22 |
| QuickBooks: zero amounts | Remove any zeros (0) from the file. Leave those cells blank. | QuickBooks Online Help: Format CSV files in Excel to get bank transactions into QuickBooks (US) Last verified 2026-10-22 |
| QuickBooks: dates | Make sure the dates are in one format. We recommend you use: dd/mm/yyyy. | QuickBooks Online Help: Format CSV files in Excel to get bank transactions into QuickBooks (US) Last verified 2026-10-22 |
| QuickBooks: characters to remove (UK help page) | ! @ # $ % ^ & * ( ) , . ? " : { } | < > | QuickBooks Online Help: Prepare your CSV file for bank upload to QuickBooks (UK) Last verified 2026-10-22 |
| Xero precoded statement: required fields | You only need to enter the Date, Amount, Account code and Tax Rate (Display Name) for the import to be successful. | Xero Central: Import a precoded bank statement in CSV format Last verified 2026-10-22 |
| Xero: dates | For all dates, use the format DD/MM/YYYY, MM/DD/YYYY or YYYY/MM/DD. | Xero Central: Import a precoded bank statement in CSV format Last verified 2026-10-22 |
| Xero: amounts | All amounts need to be in a single column. Show income as positive amounts and expenses as negative amounts using a negative sign in front of the amount or with brackets, for example -30.00 or (30.00). Don't include currency symbols or use commas to show decimal places. | Xero Central: Import a precoded bank statement in CSV format Last verified 2026-10-22 |
FAQ
How do I convert a bank statement PDF to Excel?
Drop the PDF in step 1. Each transaction becomes a row with its date, description, money out, money in and balance, and the page tells you whether the statement adds up. Carry on to step 3 and choose Excel workbook, or download the CSV from step 1 and open it in Excel.
Can I combine several months into one file?
Yes. Choose all the statements at once in step 1. Step 2 joins them in date order and removes any transactions that appear in two of them because the date ranges overlap.
Will QuickBooks accept the file?
The file follows the 3-column or 4-column layout and the fixes in QuickBooks' own help page: one date format, plain amounts, blank cells instead of zeros, and no characters it may reject in descriptions. The checks are listed before you download. We test against those published rules; we have not imported the files into a QuickBooks account, so look over the first import.
What is a Xero precoded statement?
A statement file that also carries the account code and tax rate for each line, so Xero creates and reconciles the spend and receive money transactions as it imports. Enter your Xero account code and tax rate for each category in step 3; a line without them imports as a plain statement line.
Does it work with scanned statements?
Not directly: a scan has no text to read. Run the PDF through OCR PDF first and check the amounts afterwards, because OCR can misread digits.
QuickBooks and Xero change their import rules from time to time; the rules here were read from their help pages on the dates shown. Check the first import in your accounting software.